Fungicides can help with protection

Posted Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 12:02 PM

Producers have increased their use of fungicides to optimize yields. Fungicide makers have been increasing the amount and number of fungicide available to help farmers manage disease throughout the growing season. Following is a brief summary of what to expect over the next 24 months.

DuPont Crop Protection --Dupont Crop Protection is expecting EPA registration for Aproach soon. Aproach is a broad-spectrum fungicide to fight several foliar and soil-borne diseases including frogeye leaf spot, soybean white mold, brown spot and Asian soybean rust in soybeans. In corn, it may be used to control gray leaf spot, Northern and Southern corn leaf blights and common rust. To provide added protection against disease resistance, Aproach Prima with different modes of action is expected to be introduced in 2014.

Mana Crop Protection --Mana Crop Protection is introducing Bumper ES for the 2014 growing season. Bumper ES is an advanced propiconazole formulation for broad spectrum foliar fungal disease in corn and soybeans. It provides preventive and curative control of anthracnose, brown leaf spot, frogeye leaf spot, gray leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust and a number of other diseases affecting crops in the Midwest.

Syngenta -- In 2012 soybean growers looked at Quadris Pro, a new fungicide that provides preventative and curative control of strobilurin-resistant frogeye leaf spot. In corn, Quilt Xcel, an azoxystrobin fungicide provided positive results in trials.

Cheminova --Topguard received EPA registration for use in corn in 2012 and in soybeans in 2010. Topguard is used alone or in combination with other products, as a foliar spray to control several key diseases. In soybeans, for example, Topguard controls strobilurin-resistant frogeye leaf spot and Cercospora leaf blight.

There was a limited launch in 2012 for Priaxor for soybeans. A more aggressive launch is planned for 2013. In corn, Priaxor may be applied between the V5 stage to tasseling to control several diseases, including anthracnose, gray leaf spot, Northern and Southern corn leaf blights, rusts and more.

As our local University of Missouri Agronomy Extension Specialist, Crook has been writing a column for the print edition Agriculture page for the past three years and we will now be sharing it on our web version. Crook has a bachelor and masters degree in agronomy from University of Missouri and received his doctorate in Agronomy from Kansas State University. He was in soybean variety development research for 22 years for various seed companies and has been Saline County's agronomy specialist for 10 years.